The most preferred target for insurgent activity is Shahabuddin triangle. It has become legendary since it is a strategically important area straddling a Y-shaped junction of highways linking Kabul with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
During the elections the insurgents kidnapped travelers and attacked supply convoys and troops on the roads. Although the security situation has improved over the last period it still cannot be described as safe. The first OMLT (Operational Mentor and Liaison Team) visited the area at the request of the local population because the school of the village had been completely destroyed in a fight two months ago. The visit provided an opportunity for the locals to show the Hungarian troops several locations and ask for their assistance. For example, the population of Boi Toula village was in desperate need of clean water. As a result, the troops managed to estimate a possible location of a well there.
The next stop for the OMLT was the Northern Gate of Pol-e-Khumri, where the building condition of the educational centre was checked. Since the population of three small villages had been left without power in Puz-i Ishan area, the soldiers were asked to install a five thousand-meter cable and thirty pylons. Moreover, inspecting, surveying roads are considered to be the key activities of the Hungarian OMLT. They make every effort to ensure the reconstruction of Afghanistan. It is very important to demonstrate the locals that they are not left alone even in the most difficult situation.
Translated and edited by Dóra Darnyik